Peter Dickinson

After a long and happy career working in zoos I found myself in a bit of a quandry. I was suddenly and reluctantly divorced after 30 years of what I considered a happy marriage and ended up in debt and with two mortgages. What to do? Work till I dropped and still have debts to pay or do what I wanted to do?

I wanted to travel.

I did a lot of thinking, resigned my post, sold my house and all my possessions and paid off my debts. I was left with a little money. It wasn't much but I decided to hit the road anyway. I thought that if I worried about money then I would not enjoy myself...so I deliberately don't think about it (it is difficult not too at times). I go with the flow, take each day as it comes and enjoy most. I have been 'on the road' since 2004 now. I have no home...home is where I lay my head each night. I live out of my backpack.

I firstly travelled to Turkey. That was fun but seeing a cheap ticket to India I moved on there. The next cheap ticket led me to Thailand and since then I have been sort of happily 'stuck' in South East Asia. I have visited Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Sabah, Philippines and others and some several times.

My interests have always been wide and varied but my whole adventure has been a learning experience and I continue to learn every day.

My main interest is zoos. They were my life and are still my usual reason for travelling to new destinations. I publish weekly the largest on-line zoo related e-zine Zoo News Digest

UPDATE - Further to the above I have remained 'stuck in Asia' and using Thailand as a base. Recently I obtained a contract in Dubai so that is where I am living now albeit still living out of my backpack, going with the flow and enjoying most every day.

The International Vulture Awareness Day takes place each and every year on the first Saturday in September. The day is all about promoting an awareness of the importance of vultures and the vital niche role they play in the web of life.

World Penguin Day takes place every year on the 25th April. The choice of the date is to coincide with the march of the many thousands of Antarctic Adelie Penguins as they head north to follow the sun and leave the darker south polar winter days behind.

The Horseshoe Crab does not really look like crab at all. In fact it isn't, the only things it shares with the crab is its English name and the fact that it lives in the sea. It is though a popular food in some parts of its range.

"Excuse me but your girlfriend is my girlfriend."
It may sound a bit like a farce but in the bar worlds of Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya then never was a truer word spoken in jest...well most of the time.
There is an oft repeated saying "You never...

The Butterfly is one of the most attractive of creatures, symbolic not only of beauty but of youth and rebirth in many cultures. Thailand is lucky to have a wide variety of these beautiful insects and upwards of 520 species have been recorded in the...

200 Sentences English for Massage Therapists (Nice & Naughty) is a comparatively new arrival on the Thai, learn a language book market. Few were surprised to learn of the 'Get Rich Quick English for Bar Girls' but something for the massage side of...

The House of the rising sun must be amongst the most recorded of all songs. No-one know who wrote it and so there is no copywrite and it can be freely recorded without paying dues to anybody.
Although the various interpretations of The House of...

My Thai girlfriend has reminded me dozens of times over the years of a simple fact.
"You think Thai girl come to Pattaya for LOVE? No, come for munneee!"
The same applies of course to wherever there is a bar scene in Thailand.
Munneee! Money!...

The declawing of Tigers and Lions is and never has been an operation that has ever needed to be done. It cruel and unnecessary. It always has been and it always will be. The only time a claw should have to be removed is if it was damaged in some way...

Why on earth would anyone want to paint or dye their pet? It is the $1000 dollar question that really answers itself. For money! People are prepared to stick their hands just that little deeper in their pockets for something unusual. Anyone who...

Zoological Gardens in the British Isles are all under the authority of the 'Zoo Licencing Act'. This is amongst the best if not THE best zoo legislation in the world. Any collection open to the public which includes animals which are not normally...

Actually The Sex Hubs is a little bit of a misnomer. True enough the subject rears its head ever so slightly in these hubs, though often the word does not. There are no hubs here with pornographic content, there is nothing that would make a maiden...

Som Tam or Papaya Green salad is probably one of the healthiest of all meals. All of the ingredients have health giving properties. What perhaps is lesser know is that most of these are believed to be aphrodisiacs, Som Tam is the Thailand Sex Diet, an aphrodisiac cocktail!

Most people will be familiar with the Swiss Army Knife. This remarkable and extremely useful invention is the first choice of many hikers, campers and travelers. Others will have one ticked away in a kitchen drawer, hand bag or car glove box.
...

This hub was written in response to an approach from a young lady in Mexico who was researching zoos for a project. Along the way she had come across my Zoo News Digest and decided I may be worth interviewing. Whereas I was sure that there were far...

The Gembira Loka Zoo first opened its gates in 1955. It is located just a short distance outside of the city of Yogyakarta. It is a popular weekend destination for local people and a point of interest to tourists to the area. There is a large...

To you and I it is probably obvious. We have a cat or dog or some more exotic 'pet' at home. We care for it. It is our responsibility. The caring means that we want that animal to be both happy and healthy. Even if you don't accept the...

There they are, the cute fluffy little lion, tiger or whatever cubs in the newspaper photo. That should bring some visitors in to the zoo, sanctuary, rescue centre or whatever you like to call it. We have all seen them. Such photographs appear...

The Palm Civet in Asia is represented by several different species and umpteen subspecies. The most familiar is the Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus. This cat sized mammal is actually known as the 'Toddy Cat' in some areas but is not a...

Pinioning. With a few species specific exceptions birds were meant to fly. I don’t believe that there is anyone who would argue with that. At the same time though it could be said that they do not have to fly. Within the protected confinement of...

Mr Moke was the stage name of a chimpanzee called 'Moko'. Mr Moke was claimed to be the worlds only talking chimpanzee and he may well have been at the height of his fame. He was definitely not the 'one and only' ever though. There was Johnny and...

Craig Busch of the 'Lion Man' TV programme sprang to fame on the back of a number of falsehoods. He lost control of the Zion Wildlife Gardens through a disagreement with his mother. We examine why and where things went wrong.

The Vientiane Zoo is the only 'official' zoo in Laos. There are captive animals on display in other locations I have visited however. Vientiane Zoo is located in beautiful countryside some 65 Km from the city of Vientiane. The zoo itself has a...

The Perfect Zoo Enclosure would surely have to be an exact replica of the territory the animal lived in in the wild. Visitors to the zoo could wait for the animal to appear...and wait...and wait...and wait. The animal may arrive, today,...

The Komodo Dragon Varanus komodoensis is the worlds largest lizard. They are capable of growing up to ten feet in length and weighing 150 lbs. With a surprising turn of speed on land and in the water they are a creature that deserves respect. Their...

There has been a long time joke about Viagra in Coffee (i have posted it further along) but I don't think that anyone thought that this madcap idea might become a reality.
Authorities in Malaysia have been working overtime in the early part of...

It is a common misconception that Britain's rarest snake is the Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca . This is incorrect. The rarest resident snake to be found within the British Isles is the Aesculapian Snake Elaphe longissima! (Zamenis longissima)
...

Over the past few years cleansing of the skin in a Fish Spa has become a popular and increasingly fashionable treatment. Fish Spas can now be found in beauty parlors, as separate entities or attached to aquariums or oceanariums. They are now being...

Psoriasis is a nasty red, itchy, non-contagious skin condition. It can occur on any part of the body but more frequently on the head or joints like elbows and knees. At it simplest it is overgrowth of skin cells and flaking away. Unpleasant to have...

If there is one thing which Pattaya in Thailand does not lack it is Bars. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of them, big and small. Each Bar has its own sign, its own shape, colour design, spelling and mis-spelling. Each is, in its own way,...

Manila is a huge city with a population numbering somewhere in the region of 20 Million people. Nearly all of these are familiar with Manila Zoo which, as reputedly the oldest* zoo in Asia, opened its doors in 1959 on a 5 hectare site. Most Manilans...

Bird Nest Soup is a soup which is produced using the nests of the Cave Swiftlet (Aerodramus/Collocalia species) as a base. The Cave swiftlet does not construct its nest like many birds from twigs and moss but out of its own very sticky but...

Bali Safari and Marine Park is an increasingly popular tourist attraction for visitors to Bali Indonesia. Set in a lush and beautiful location it makes for an interesting day out, but is it really worth it?

'Old Hag Syndrome' appears to be a form of hallucinatory sleep paralysis which occurs shortly before falling asleep or just as one wakens. A surprisingly large number of people (2%) experience it once in their lives. It is a terrifying experience...

As a kid I was a very fussy eater. I hated fat and would labour away to see that every last shred was removed from any meat. I hated turnips, cabbage, turnips and vinegar. I shunned spaghetti because it resembled worms and would gag when swallowing...

Almost undoubtedly the kiss originated from grooming/bonding behaviour and can be seen in its most primitive form by watching other primates. Other animals lick and preen. The kiss today is commonly carried out as a gesture of love, respect,...

For some very odd reason Pattaya in Thailand does not appear on the Backpacker circuit. They arrive in Bangkok from wherever and head north to Chiang Mai or south to Phuket. They may even pass Pattaya by as they approach the border and into...

In at least one story of creation there were three children born. There was a boy, a girl and another. The Kathoey should be considered that Third Sex. The Kathoey or Ladyboy occur in all societies under a variety of names. In Mexico they are called...

Actually the whole subject of Thai Whiskey gets a bit confusing, especially in conversation because there are more than one drink going under the same title. Often someone will have tried one type once, not liked it, or perhaps ended the evening...

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